Explanation:
Today, planet Earth passes through the plane of
Saturn's rings.
From the perspective of
earthbound astronomers, Saturn's rings
will be edge-on.
The problem is,
Saturn itself
is now very close to the Sun, low on
horizon after sunset, so good telescopic images will be difficult
to come by.
Still,
this composite of Saturn views
taken from 2004 - 2009 (lower right to upper left) illustrates
the change in ring tilt
over the last six years and includes a nearly edge-on
ring view, based on images captured earlier this year.
While Saturn's south pole is clearly
seen in the sequence,
particularly at the lower right, it will be hidden in the coming
years.
Saturn's north pole will be increasingly
visible, along with
the tilting rings, as the planet emerges this fall in the
predawn sky.